LAWS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP BY PST COSFINNEY

The service started with an intercessory prayer said by Mr. 
Sammy Afam.

The Masterpiece was on hand for a brief call  to worship session which was led by Miss Josephine. After the opening prayer by Mr Iwuchukwu, Min. Knowledge led the praise session with songs like: "I love you Lord” 
"Sweeter” etc . Mrs Lois 
Afam led a session of worship with songs like: 
"Who can compare with you”,  “Everything” and
"Awesome God”

Next was the announcement delivered by Pastor 
Dexter.  He started by announcing the bouncing baby boy delivered to the family of Mr & 
Mrs Slyvester. As the Women conference draws near,  Woman2woman meeting would hold this Thursday by 5pm. The announcement also included the monthly night Vigil which holds this Friday from 10pm to 12midnight
Early will I seek thee is slated for
1st of April by 6:am.

The set man over the House, Pastor Cosfinney Udoka was welcomed  to the Pulpit for the sermon by Pastor Dexter.  His teaching  is on Leadership. a series he started some weeks ago.
The message for the day was titled:  
THE LAWS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP 

Bible text  was taken from the book of Act 11:26 John 17:10-12, John 8:5-7
He urged the congregation to move into the realm of studying their Bibles. 
"Every problem in the world has a solution in the word of  God,
Leadership isn’t positional.  leadership errors are in many circle, including families." He said.

THE LAWS.
Law1 : You must produce your kind. "Leadership is reproducing your kind. Every organization is a reflection of itself.  To reproduce makes a man a model. You must careful not reproduce yourself in the negative light. Every man reproduces himself consciously or unconsciously. Reproduction isn’t only when a man gives birth but could be the act of transferring spirit. One of the ways could be to train your men".

Law2 
You must not exalt the principle than the people:  Remember the people are more important than the principles. "Sometimes you need to be flexible with the laws governing your family, organization etc. It takes people to execute principles. So it’s advisable to sometimes keep the principles aside and face the people."

Law3 : You must understand that you are a Father and a leader:  Understand the twin nature of a leader. "Sometimes rebuke is necessary.  Learn how to inter-switch both in  leadership. Leadership is stronger than fatherhood. Leadership is about moving ahead of the people. Every leader must be reader". Conclude Pastor Cosfinney.

Pastor Dexter was called up  to take the Tithes and offering.

WHO IS MY WIFE BY PST. COSFINNEY UDOKA

It was a day the Lord made, and we rejoiced in it, in His presence. It was another blessed and refreshing Sunday here at House on the Rock, Asaba.

The second service started with intercessory and opening prayers led by Ebere.

Praise was led by Knowledge and Ufuoma with the songs, " Rejoice," "Lord you are good," "Blessed be the name of the Lord," and "Friend of God."

Worship was led by Ada, with the songs, "You are holy," and "Idi mma Ezi Chineke."

Pastor Dexter came up to make the announcements. The Monthly Vigil will hold this Friday, the 29th of March at 10 p.m.

The Benevolence department will be embarking on a trip today to minister to widows, the sick, disabled, the elderly, the jobless, and students.

Water Baptism will hold on the morning of April 6th, and baptism classes will hold this Friday, March 29th, next Thursday, April 4th and next Friday, April 5th consecutively.

ELITES, the ministry for single christians in the house were scheduled to meet this Sunday at 5 p.m. There was a presentation by the drama ministry that further encouraged the singles to be present at the meeting. Woman to Woman fellowship would hold this Thursday, March 28th at 5 p.m. To this effect, all the women were asked to wait and meet with the first lady of the house, Pastor Ada Udoka.

"De Masterpiece" came up to minister with the song," "You are God alone," led by Saviour.

After the splendid ministration, Chioma came up to welcome all the new comers in our midst. As usual, she mentioned that there are lot of Bible believing churches in the area, but she encouraged them to prayerfully make HOTR Asaba their church home.

Next, she welcomed our host pastor, Cosfinney N. Udoka to deliver the word of God. He came up as "De Masterpiece" sang, "Humble Adoration."

Before he went on to the message, he made the final announcement of the weddings of Paulams and Nonye, Josephine and Gregory. Both will take place on Saturday, March 30th from 10 a.m. to noon, and noon till about 2 p.m.

The message he had for the congregation was titled, "Who is my wife?" (Part II). It was part of the larger series he started a few weeks ago, titled, "The content of marriage."

Main Bible Verse: Genesis 24 vs 1-10

The main character in Genesis chapter 24 is Rebecca. The name Rebecca means "Enchanting," "Charismatic," "Captivating."

"One of the first things a man encounters in women is their charisma. After charisma attracts you, wait to hear many more things that the woman's life says. Charisma is the last thing that any man should base his decision on. Character is what to look out for in a woman. Charisma will give you popularity, but character is what will give you identity."

Things you need to look out for in a woman whom you want to marry:

1. Kindness-  Genesis 24 vs 17, 18, Proverbs 31 vs 26.

                        "You should not marry a woman who is not kind. If she is not kind, she is not fit to be your wife; except you the man is also not kind. The kindness should come in                     words and deeds."

2. Unselfishness- Genesis 24 vs 20

                        "Just like Rebecca, any woman who wants to be a good woman for a wife, must be willing to be selfless, with her time, energy, resources, etc. Statistics have shown                     that most marriages that break up have done so on the platform of selfishness." A good woman must be ready to do more than required.

3. Endurance- Genesis 24 vs 19

                         "A good wife must be ready to endure the challenges and rocky roads that are bound to come with marriage."

4. Hard Work- Proverbs 31 vs 14-16

                        "A woman of today must be hard working and ready to support her husband. On the extreme, men should also be careful of so-called career women who have no                time for their families."

5. Humility-     Genesis 24 vs 18, Matthew 5 vs 5

                        "The woman you want to marry must be humble, with a broken spirit. Do not marry a proud woman. Life will offer you what it has if you humble yourself, God will                       exalt the humble. Marriage is an exaltation to a woman, if she humbles herself. Humility is not of the flesh, it is a fruit of the spirit."

6. Charity-      Hebrews 13 vs 2

                        "Your charity should extend to all, so should that of the woman you want to get married to. The fastest way to come out of hardship is to give and be generous. She                  should be able to extend love to all, not just family and friends."

7. Good Attitude- Genesis 24 vs 25

                        "(Good) Attitude is everything. It can be developed and learnt, no matter what is happening around you. The woman you want to marry should have a good mental,                     social, emotional and physical disposition. Attitude determines how far you will go in life."

8. Discipline- "Do not get married to a woman who is not disciplined, who does not have a format or a structure. Such a woman will be breaking rules all the time, and will be                      prone to act anyhow."

9. Home maker- Proverbs 31 vs 27

                        "You should visit the house of the woman you are dating in order to find out how organized she is. Women should learn to be organized and neat, especially when                       they are single."

                         

10. Friendliness- Proverbs 31 vs 10-12

                        "Men should marry their friends. Do not get married to a stranger that you cannot have comfortable and natural conversations with. Friendship is an important                     sustainer of marriage."

11. Background- "Check the background of any woman you want to get married to so you know what to expect and pray against."

Three Lessons to learn from Delilah/Gospel according to Delilah:

The name Delilah means "lustful."

1. Delilah made her house a resting place for Samson. Her environment, her person was too comfortable for Samson that he could not or did not want to look for any other woman. Women should make their houses and persons resting places for their husbands, so that they will look forward to coming home to them. The man gives the woman a house, but the woman should turn it into a home.

2. Delilah talked to Samson, not at him. Proverbs 5 vs 3. There is a boy in every man, women should learn to call out and talk to the boy. Once you do that, you can get him to do almost anything for you.

3. Delilah knew how to touch Samson. Proverbs 31 vs 10, 11. Women should learn to touch their husbands with what matters most to them. This kind of touch is more valuable than the physical kind. It gets the man to open up and reveal his heart to you.

In conclusion, a woman should:

1. Listen to her man.

2. Try and understand his concern (s), so you know how to help him.

3. Have a realistic expectation of how you can contribute to his life, learn the area where he wants you to contribute. Every man has a particular area where he wants your contribution the most.

4. Always tell your man how much you value him. There is a king in every man who appreciates the celebration a woman, particularly his, gives him.

In conclusion, he reminded us that marriage is serious business, and should be taken as such.

                       

Pastor Chikelu prayed and made the call for tithes and offerings.

Closing prayers and benedictions were said and the second service came to an end.

THE LAWS OF LEADERSHIP BY PASTOR COSFINNEY UDOKA

After a wonderful time in the presence of the Lord on Sunday and the rigors of the week, a time of refreshment from our Heavenly Father was needed. It came in the package of the mid-week Bible study.

The service started with intercessory prayers led by Ifeanyi.

A brief worship session led by Saviour followed, with the song "Here I am to worship."

Opening prayers were said by Pastor Sam. Anita took over and led praise with the songs "He is a wonder," "Shackles," "Glorious," and "O give thanks." Knowledge led another worship session, with the songs "You are worthy of my praise," "Kabi osi "  which means king in the Yoruba language, "I've come to say how much I love you," and "I'm here to worship you."

Next, Pastor Dexter delivered the announcements. He started by welcoming the family and friends of Mr. & Mrs. MacDuf Takim, who came to join them in dedicating their baby. The upcoming Sunday would be a special benevolence event hosted by the benevolence department, all kingdom partners were encouraged to renew their pledges, the ongoing media campaign on Facebook and Blogspot was also announced.

After the announcements, Pastor Cosfinney Udoka, our host pastor here at HOTR Asaba was welcomed to deliver the word from the Lord. He was welcomed with the song "As the deer pantheth," by "De Masterpiece."

Before he started the message, he led the church in prayer for our country. Firstly, we prayed for the peace of God, and then we prayed for the country to have a "soul", so that we would first identify as Nigerians instead of our ethnic tribes. He also welcomed the new comers and the friends and family of Mr. & Mrs. MacDuf Takim.

He went on to continue the series on leadership he started a few weeks ago.

Specifically, the message was titled "The Laws of Leadership."

Bible Verses: Luke 10 vs 1, 4, 17, Matthew 10 vs 16

Law I

"You must be representing somebody. You must have a "representative mindset." Leadership is all about representation. No matter your level of leadership, if you do not have anyone you report to, anyone you are accountable to, you are no longer a leader. The problem we have with leadership today is that we have no mentors, people are not willing to be mentored. One of the advantages of having a mentor is that you can get advice and help that will eradicate or at least lessen your burden, in a shorter amount of time than if that mentor was not in your life. In leadership, you must go ahead, in between, and behind of your flock. Leadership is not all about what you say, it is also about what you do."

 

Law II

"STRETCH: Stretch your staff, stretch your members, stretch yourself. Leadership must be stretched sometimes. The essence of leadership manifests when it is stretched. The real you comes out when the stretch comes, the essence of your being comes out at that time. What you are going through now is to stretch you and to bring out your best. Stretching challenges the leader and those being led. A lot of what is happening in the country is because our leaders do not want to be stretched. Sometimes as a leader, you have to sacrifice your rights, be stressed and stretched for the people you are leading. Sometimes the people you are leading need to be stretched in order to find out who is loyal and who is not. The greatest miracles in the life of Christ and His disciples happened at the points of stretch."

Law III

"Never despise your season of obscurity. Never despise the time when things are hard for you, when no one knows you. We should not be in a haste to forget where we are coming from. A lot of our glory lies in our history. As we progress, we should not forget our days of lack, because a lot of people are still in that position. We should help them as much as possible, instead. Your past helps you to remember that God is good. If He could sustain you in your days of obscurity, He can sustain you now. Anything that sustained you in the time of obscurity, can sustain you when those days are over, in the days of fame and progress.The same weapon you used in the days of obscurity will be useful when those days are over, the only difference may be the situation. If you remember your past, God will empower your today. A change of status may not automatically mean a change of diet. Obscurity is an opportunity for you to rehearse for your tomorrow, for your promotion. When the increase and promotion comes, you may not have any time to rehearse again."

He concluded by encouraging those who have not given their lives to Christ to do so. Being the right leader starts with Christ, with Him as your Lord and Saviour.

After the tithes and offerings, the baby dedication of Mr. & Mrs. MacDuf Takim took place. Their baby girl was christened Nora Naza Nkyie Takim and was prayed for by Pastor Udoka.

Closing prayers were said and the service came to a beautiful end.

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THE WOMAN OF VIRTUE by Prophetess Michelle Galloway

We hope you had a wonderful and blessed weekend. This Sunday was another wonderful and uplifting time in the presence of our Lord.

The second service started with opening prayers led by Pastor Ferguson.

Praise was led by Ufuoma, with "It's a new day," "Blessed," "Glory to God," "My God is good o."

Worship was led by Ada and Maryann with "He is exalted," "We give you praise," "Bless the Lord," " Great and mighty is our God," and "I worship you."

Pastor Dexter took the announcements. CITH was scheduled to hold at 5 p.m. at the various locations, the benevolence ministry would welcome donations during the week to help with the many visits they make.

"De Masterpiece" ministered with a song titled "Sometimes you have to encourage yourself," led by Anita and Maryann.

There was a special commemorative celebration for women, mothers especially during the second service and there was a presentation by the drama ministry to further emphasize the celebration.

Chioma came up to welcome newcomers in the congregation and urged them to prayerfully consider making House on the Rock, Asaba their church home.

After that, Pastor Cosfinney Udoka, our host pastor was welcomed to the altar to the melody of "How great is our God," by "De Masterpiece."

"There is no one like a woman, without them life will be boring. They don't give up easily, they are inspiration to the people in their lives. They should always be appreciated."

We were privileged to have with us, Michelle Galloway, a prophetess, an international minister, a singer, all the way from the United States of America.

Michelle was welcomed to the altar to the melody of "Lord I worship you because of who you are," by "De Masterpiece."

 

Proverbs 31 vs 10, 11, 12

She talked about the virtuous woman, a woman of integrity. She told us a story of such women she met in her church in her home country, Nigerian women who showed her how to love and live virtuously.

"A woman is a gift from God to a man, and to all mankind. Women move God."

"A virtuous woman is not a gossip. Women who have gossiped and gossip destroy many things, and they seem to age faster. A virtuous woman sees another woman in need and attends to her in love."

"She admonished the married women not to leave the single women unattended to, so that they don't get encouragement from potentially wrong and harmful sources."

"God loves the woman, she is the apple of His eyes."

"Men, be good to your wives."

"God is working in Nigeria. It is our time to overcome and prosper. No one will be able to stop the move of God in our nation."

After her powerful message, tithes and offering were collected

The (married) women came up for their thanksgiving and were presented with gifts by their husbands.

Closing prayers and benedictions were said, and the second service came to a close.

WHO IS MY WIFE? BY PST. COSFINNEY UDOKA 1st service 17/03/13

We hope you had a wonderful and blessed weekend. This Sunday was another wonderful and uplifting time in the presence of our Lord.

The first service started with opening prayers led by Ifeanyi.

De Masterpiece took over with a short, beautiful rendition of "We worship you in the spirit."

After that, Pastor Ferguson said a word of prayer and welcomed Ufuoma and De Masterpiece for the time of praise.

It started with "It's a new day," "Blessed," "Glory to God." Worship was led by Ada with "He is exalted," "We give you praise," "Bless the Lord," " Great and mighty is our God."

Buchi took the announcements. It was a day of celebration for women, mothers particularly. The proper celebration was scheduled to take place during the second service. CITH was scheduled to hold at 5 p.m. at the various locations, the benevolence ministry would welcome donations during the week to help with the many visits they make.

 

De Masterpiece ministered with a song titled "Sometimes you have to encourage yourself," led by Anita and Maryann.

Mrs. Chinyere came up to welcome newcomers in the congregation and urged them to prayerfully consider making House on the Rock, Asaba their church home.

After that, Pastor Cosfinney Udoka, our host pastor came up to deliver the word of God to us. He was welcomed with "I see the Lord," by De Masterpiece.

He continued with the series he started last Sunday, "The contents of marriage."

Today's message was an introduction to the next installment of the series. It was titled, "Who Is My wife?"

Bible Verses: Genesis 2 vs 18-24, Proverbs 18 vs 22, 30 vs 18-19, Genesis 28 vs 1-2.

"The foundation of a strong family starts with a strong marriage. A lot of the (health) problems men have are because of issues they have with their marriages.

A man was formed, but a woman was made. There is always a place for you to get married from, you don't get married from just anywhere. When you want to get married, trace your roots, the church. Any woman who is not connected to God is not fit to be your wife, except you the man is not connected to God."

"Choose from your family (Christians), and be specific about what you want. You should not get married without consulting God, any marriage void of God will not succeed."

"When you are ready to get married, take out time to talk to God about it and seek His direction."

"In marriage, one of the basic things to look for is character, not charisma. It is unfortunate that almost ninety percent of men get married on the platform of charisma. If you want to know the character of a woman, trace her ancestry, go and visit her family.  For example, let her call her mother in front of you sometimes. Do not throw away your senses when you get into a relationship, it is not all about emotions."

"Charisma is good, appreciate it but also look out for character. Do not let charisma blind you to character, the real person."

"God is a generational God, He is interested in your lineage in order to correct anything that is wrong. It is the same way you as a man should be interested in the lineage of the woman you want to get married to. It helps you correct the negatives and not carry it into the next generation. When a generational problem is disclosed, you can start dealing with it, prayerfully and consciously."

"Strengths should also be traced. They help heal weaknesses, especially when they are magnified."

"A woman is a helpmate, she must acquire what to give to the husband whenever it is needed. Helpmate should not be narrowed down to financial help, it should also be help of encouragement, affirmation, strength of character. A woman should be ready to be a benefit instead of just a beneficiary. Service is also important, any woman who cannot serve (you) is not qualified to be your wife."

 

"Single hood is not ideal, it should not be paraded like jewelry. Marriage brings blessings in more ways than one, God intended for us to get married and be blessed in it."

"Marriage is a journey and the kind of company you have on the journey can either make it interesting or boring. If you have the right company in your partner, your life and marriage will be interesting and exciting. A good example (for single people) is if you have to go on a long trip, say to China or Australia and you are asked to pick someone. Do you pick the person you are currently dating? Whether you do or not is a good indicator of if that person will be the right company in life as your spouse."

"A man is like a wheel, and a woman is like grease. The efficiency of a man is determined by the woman he is married to, if she does not "grease" her husband well, he will not function properly."

"Marriage starts with God. He is the author of the institution and He should be involved in it for it to succeed."

Pastor concluded the message by saying that a good marriage starts with being born-again, giving your life to Christ, not playing church.

Tithes and offering were collected, closing prayers and benediction were said, and the first service came to a close.

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THREE 'PS' OF LEADERSHIP... 13/03/13

 Another day of fellowship and refreshment in the House of the Lord was upon us again, and it came in the form of the Wednesday Bible Study.

The service started with opening prayers led by Sam. It was followed by a brief worship session led by Gabriel with "Let it rain."

Maryann led the praise session with "High in all the earth," Ufuoma took over with "In the sanctuary," "You're worthy to be praised." After the praise session, a second Maryann took over and led the worship session with "You are my passion," "Here I am to worship," and "How great is our God."

Announcements came next. They were given by Dexter:: This coming Sunday will be a celebration of Women, in the spirit of Mothering Sunday, the women were reminded of their upcoming meeting on Thursday March 14, 2012, CITH (Church in the Home) will hold this coming Sunday, the congregation was also reminded to stay updated with happenings during and after services on Facebook and the blog.

After the announcements, our host pastor here at HOTR Asaba, Cosfinney N. Udoka was welcomed to the altar to the song "Lord I give you my heart" led by Maryann and "De Masterpiece."

Before the message, Pastor Udoka invited a member of the congregation, Princess to give a testimony. Her testimony was that God healed her daughter, Adanna of Asthma, which she had been previously diagnosed at 6 months of age. This actually caused her to be placed on regular medication for a long period of time. The healing came after the carol night held in the church last year: 12-12-12. Detail on this, can be gotten from the Mp3 download page.

Pastor Udoka started a new series, titled "The three P's of Leadership."

Genesis 1 vs 26-27, Romans 8 vs 11, Matthew 4 vs 18-20

The ability to lead a person, group or organization is called Leadership. It is not about what you know, but about who you are. You are born and made a leader, you are a leader by (spiritual) birth, by ancestry. If our God is the leader of all leaders, then you who is created in His image and likeness is also a leader. You should not let anyone tell you otherwise. What you need to do is to learn the act of leadership. Leadership is not based on position, but on influence. God will not ask you questions based on your position, but on your existence. Leaders who are tied only to positions cannot lead until there is a position available, but leaders of influence can lead from anywhere, they do not wait for a position to lead.

1. Person-   When a person is committed to a goal and influences people to achieve that goal, that person is a leader.

                    You cannot tap into your full leadership potential until you give your life to Christ. Your spirit man can only be activated by Christ because the full image of God is not our flesh, but               our Christ-activated spirit. If God is not your leader, you cannot lead effectively.

2. Purpose- Every leader must be purpose-driven and committed to a vision. Human beings follow vision, not the man. It takes a man of vision to fulfill purpose. Men will not follow anyone whose visions do not align with theirs. When the vision starts lacking, the people start slacking and drawing back. Do not become a part of something because of how it sounds, become part of it because of the vision. Vision cannot be achieved alone, once God gives you the vision, He will provide ways for the vision to be fulfilled. You cannot fulfill vision without having a purpose, they work together.

3. People-  There is no leadership without follower-ship, that is one of the characteristics of leadership. The best followers-hip is leadership outside the position, leadership by influence.  Follower-ship is structure, if the structure collapses when you are not around, then the leadership is faulty and shaky. Vision cannot be fulfilled in isolation, you need a team to help fulfill it. Those people need to be influenced and not intimidated into fulfilling that vision with you. If you have to stand in leadership in this life, you must submit to the authority and leadership of the Lord.

He concluded by praying for the grace to live and lead influentially and not by intimidation.

 Tithes and offerings were collected and closing benedictions said.

Sunday: 10-3-2013. 1st service

 Hello all, hope you had a blessed week. Welcome to a glorious and a wonderful service in His presence.

Pastor Peter led the opening prayers. "De Masterpiece" followed with a worship song led by Direction titled "Lord I Lift Your Name On High." 

The praise session was led by Maryann with the song "I Came To Give Him Praise" and "Oh Happy Day". Paulnams took over with "Take Your Blessing".

A longer worship session was led by Maryann; it started with "Hossanna In the Highest" and was followed by "Mma Mma" meaning Great and Mighty God.

Announcements were taken by Pastor Dexter. Two new babies were born to the families of Mr & Mrs. Fidelis and Mr & Mrs. Lincoln Itive. Next Sunday the 17th of March is women's day. It will be celebrated in church, husbands are enjoined to buy gifts for their wives. To this effect, all women are to meet on Thursday the 14th of March by 5.pm.

ELITES' meeting holds this evening by 5pm at the church auditorium while the meeting for couples, "Two-in-One" will hold at Mr. and Mrs. IKenna's house. The topic to be discussed is "Third Party in Marriage". All workers are to meet at the close of second Service with Pastor Cosfinney Udoka.

"De Masterpiece" took us further into the service with the choir song titled "Incredible God" led by Anita. Paulnams took over with "He's Able".

Chinyere welcomed the first timers with the song "I need you to survive". She advised that though there were lots of churches in Asaba, the host pastor, Cosfinney Udoka would be happy to be their pastor if they madeHouse on the Rock their place of worship. After that, we were further taken into God's presence with a ballet dance presentation by Njideka and Solomon from ELITES, titled "Not Guilty."

Following the inspiring presentation, it was time for the message. Once again, our host pastor, Cosfinney N. Udoka was welcomed by Pastor Chikelu to the melody of "More of you," by "De Masterpiece."

Pastor Udoka informed the congregation that today will be the start of a series that will run through the month of April.

The series is titled, "The Content of Marriage, or Why Marriage?"

Bible reading: Genesis 2 vs 16, 18, 23, 24, 25, Ruth 1 vs 6-18, Genesis 2 vs 25, Ephesians 5 vs 21, Genesis 1 vs 28.

Being alone and being lonely is not the same. Marriage is the program of God, not man. Our traditions and lifestyles have made it seem like it is man's program. It is the heartbeat of God, it was the first institution He created, and it was the only way He saw fit for procreation to take place.

A lot of people have focused on the wedding, instead of talking of the marriage. The devil knows how important marriage is to God, so he tries everything possible to destroy the institution, to thwart the program of God. Marriage has been so mitigated today, to the point that we have begun to accept a lot of shams as marriage.

Marriage is a legal relationship between a man and a woman. The yearning to get married comes from God, not from the devil. We are meant to get married, it is part of God's purpose for human beings. We are instruments of marriage, the day we were born is the day we became qualified to get married, at the appointed time.

A woman completes a man, there is something only a woman can give a man as his wife. That is the way God designed it to be. He who finds a wife finds a good thing (Prov. 18 vs 22), a wife is a blessing.

Marriage is a tri-patheid relationship that has to do with God, a man and a woman. You cannot wed outside God and expect a consistent, peaceful marriage. God should not be dropped at the altar after the wedding, God should be carried home with the couple. He becomes the reason for the marriage.

A man without a woman is incomplete, and a woman without a man is a girl. Womanhood is an office, and not a title.

Reasons God created marriage:

1. Companionship, Friendship: Adam needed consistent fellowship and friendship, so God created Eve for him, for that purpose.

   If you are not ready for that kind of companionship and relationship, do not get married.

   Ruth (in the Bible), is an example of companionship, and what marriage is all about. Companionship does not stop, until death do you part.

 

No matter where you're coming from, once you get married, whatever curse you were previously under, is automatically removed.

2. Sexual Fulfillment: If your sexual life is perverted as a single person, it will take God's hand to correct it in marriage.

   The proper joining of two people takes place at the altar and through sex. Sex is the major unifying factor in marriage, it bridges the gap in the night after the distance         

   covered in the day. A husband and wife should be open with each other about sex and sexual-related issues. Sex should not be an instrument of punishment in the home, 

   either for the man or the woman.

3. Procreation: From the day God created man and woman, creation stopped. He gave man and woman the power to create as much as they want, and it is important to talk

    about how many children you want to have before you get married. That is part of the reason God created the institution of marriage. Couples should have as much

    children as they can take care of.

Requirements for Marriage:

1. A job: No matter how small the job is, you need a job. Adam had a job in the garden of Eden, a job gives you a sense of direction. A man needs to take care of his

   family, and the Bible says any man who cannot do that is worst than an infidel. In conclusion, a woman also needs a job to qualify her to get married. She should not be a 

   liability.

  Tithes and offerings were taken, the benediction was said, and the first service came to a close.